Android for PlayBook demoed (video)

BlackBerry maker RIM has given a brief demo on how Android for PlayBook will work at its BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, Florida.

Although the new platform won’t be available until later this year, that hasn’t stopped RIM showing how the new features will work to attendees of the conference.

Rather than create a dedicated app that then lets you run Android apps in a dedicated zoned off space on the 7-inch tablet, users will be able to simply run the apps alongside dedicated PlayBook apps being none the wiser.

Android apps, which will be available from the BlackBerry App World store will then sit alongside their PlayBook app cousins loading in the same way - with developers encouraged to add their app to App World.

To get around the lack of dedicated hardware buttons on the PlayBook, RIM has said that it has mapped Android gestures to the apps automatically. That means a dedicated back button in the top navigation bar, and the ability to access menus by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

Apps will get full access to the PlayBook’s hardware features so it’s not going to be a sandbox experience, however rather than using some of the best Android apps around, RIM’s choice of demos perhaps show who it believes are the core BlackBerry PlayBook owners.

While Pulse was on the apps page we were shown, RIM decided that Android Solitaire would be the better option to show what it's capable of.

Let’s hope that's not the only thing you’ll be playing when the new feature comes this summer.

UPDATE: BlackBerry has now released a close up video of the new features in action